At this point, we’ve had so many stories and suspicions about World War Z, the Marc Forster-directed adaptation of Max Brooks‘ novel about the aftermath of a zombie pandemic. Extensive reshoots have led many to assume that the film is a mess, and the first footage released a couple days ago didn’t do any favors, especially for those who want as many details of Brooks’ novel preserved as possible, and didn’t take kindly to the film’s fast zombies.

But now the first full trailer is here, and we can start to evaluate what Forster & Co. have actually made. Happily, the film looks a bit better than that initial footage glimpse suggested, even if it probably isn’t the movie that die-hard fans wanted. Check out the trailer below. Read More »

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Marc Forster‘s adaptation of the Max Brooks novel World War Z ran into some problems a few months ago when it had to go in for extensive rewrites and reshoots late in the game. Starring Brad Pitt as the Guy Who Has to Save the World (very loosely based on the primary narrator of the novel, a UN inspector whose work documents a zombie pandemic) the film was pushed from a late 2012 release back to June 21, 2013.

The trailer for World War Z will hit on Thursday, but in the meantime check out a bit of footage thanks to an Entertainment Tonight tease for the show’s coverage of the film. The talking heads aren’t nearly as irritating as they typically are. OK, they’re still pretty irritating, but at least you’ve got a chance to get a look at what Forster has done with loads and loads of fast-moving digital zombies. Read More »

It might not be the best year to be Monsters Ball and Quantum of Solace director Marc Forster, as his adaptation of the Max Brooks novel World War Z reportedly went off the rails, requiring weeks of reshoots and a serious endgame rewrite. But Forster is moving forward with potential new work, and now he is reportedly close to a deal with Disney to make a movie called Imagining Nathan, a film that sounds like a risky, odd psychological fantasy. Read More »

The Paramount adaptation of Max Brooks‘ novel World War Z, directed by Marc Forster with Brad Pitt in the lead role, ran into some trouble months ago. The film’s release date was pushed and extensive reshoots scheduled to create footage that addresses big story deficiencies. As part of that reshoot process, Damon Lindelof was hired to rewrite the end of the film. (That move raised some eyebrows, given the general perception of Lindelof’s facility with endings as seen in Lost and Prometheus.)

Turns out that’s not quite what happened, however. While Lindelof came up with the idea for the new ending, he didn’t have time to write the script, and so the real work fell to Drew Goddard, who wrote for Lost, scripted Cloverfield, and co-wrote and directed and The Cabin in the Woods.

At this point, it’s no secret that Paramount’s World War Z is in deep trouble. The zombie drama was moved from its December 2012 date to June 2013 to allow for significant reshoots, and Prometheus screenwriter Damon Lindelof was brought on board to rework the script. And all this after an already rocky production history that saw the studio trying and failing for years to get the project off the ground, throwing quite a bit of money at it along the way.

So what, exactly, went wrong? A new report points at a few different factors, and suggests that the movie was plagued with issues from the get-go. Read all about it after the jump.

When it was revealed that Marc Forster‘s World War Z would need almost two months of reshoots, we all realized it was in deep trouble. Paramount has now hired a screenwriter to play savior: Damon Lindelof. The Prometheus and Star Trek screenwriter, who recently said he was done with movies after signing a new TV deal, apparently spoke too soon and has been called upon to help bolster the film’s third act.

World War Z, based on the book by Max Brooks and written by Matthew Michael Carnahan, stars Brad Pitt as a scientist trying to solve a global zombie pandemic. Read more after the jump. Read More »

World War Z had one rough development period, getting caught up for years in rewrites, almost-expired options, and budget troubles before finally making it in front of cameras last summer. But even though principal photography wrapped months ago, it seems the project’s troubles aren’t over.

A new report indicates that the Marc Forster-directed zombie epic is now headed for seven weeks of reshoots — a troublingly long schedule that hints at major problems with the film. More details after the jump.

You might recall, from a year and a half back, that Zombieland writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wenick were hired to script a film for Disney called Cowboy Ninja Viking. The project was based on the Image Comics work by AJ Lieberman and Riley Rossmo, and features warriors boasting multiple personalities, the better to be prepared to take on a variety of tasks.

As it turns out, the Reese and Wernick script wasn’t quite family-friendly enough for Disney, which cut the project loose. But Cowboy Ninja Viking has found a new home at Universal, and Marc Forster could end up making it his follow-up to World War Z. Read More »

It took Paramount years to get the zombie apocalypse thriller World War Z off the ground, but now that the production is actually up and running, it seems the studio is very eager to keep moving forward with the property. The studio and director Marc Forster reportedly have their fingers crossed that the upcoming film will become the first in a trilogy, all with star Brad Pitt at this center.

Considering how sequel-crazy studios are nowadays, and how hot zombies are at the moment, this isn’t much of a shocker. What’s a little more surprising is that if this plan works out, it’ll be Pitt’s first time leading a major franchise of his own. Yup, Pitt’s somehow managed to build up a two-decade, A-list career without a single Mission: Impossible or Marvel superhero series under his belt. More details on the possible film series after the jump.